The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the oldest churches in Rome built in 440 AD by Pope Sixtus III.
It was one of four great pilgrimage churches in Rome, and is a mind-boggling awe-inspiring monument.
Inside, mosaics from the 5th century narrate 36 scenes from the Old Testament, and the wood ceiling is gilded with the first gold brought from the New World.
Human lifetimes are usually limited to a century.
My grandpa was born, lived and died within the same century. My father’s life spanned two. My daughter might be lucky enough to see three, if she’s a centenarian.
But, by and large, our minds have trouble fathoming time spans longer than one hundred years.
Until just a few decades ago, most of humanity lived and died within a small area.
After our hunter-gatherer ancestors learned to grow food and settled down, only the rare exception travelled further than 25 km. from his or her birthplace.
My great-grandfather was born in a small village. His wife was from a nearby village. They didn’t travel outside it at all.
We were on the superfast RailJet from Salzburg, Austria to Zurich, Switzerland.
A few minutes back, the train had stopped at Innsbruck, a skiing resort where James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” was shot.
Dr.Mani is a Heart surgeon, Author and Social entrepreneur. He writes and sells ebooks to help raise money that sponsors life-saving operations for children born with heart defects.
Dr.Mani is Chairman of the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation. He's curious about things, and loves to read & travel. His current Interests lie in Genomics, A.I., Economics, Theoretical Physics and Nanotech.
For more about Dr.Mani, go here
Knife At A Gunfight - How To Build Your New Life In 5 Easy Steps More books by Dr.Mani - view catalog
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